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NEWS SNIPPETS
2006
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Marina Bay and Orchard Road countdown 2006/2007 events
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Web surfing in Singapore largely back to normal
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Singapore hit by heavy rain and flash floods
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Singapore Public Holidays 2008 - Tentative List
Conditions of
Employment 2006 |
| "The
5-day workweek is the norm, with higher share of
employees now on this arrangement than two years
ago. Close to two in five (40%) full-time employees
in the private sector worked 5 days a week in 2006,
up from 34% two years ago. |
|
"Lagging significantly behind, were the 5½-day
(15%), 6-day workweek (16%), and shift work (17%)
each accounting for less than one in five employees
in 2006..." |
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More..... |
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What really happened with Chee in prison |
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"Coincidentally, on the day that Chee
stopped eating (28 Nov 06), the SDP website posted a statement “Dr
Chee Soon Juan’s health deteriorates in prison” and started to
purvey the story that Chee was unwell because of his treatment in
prison. |
|
"Soon after that, several foreign
Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) wrote to express concerns
similar to that purveyed by the SDP over Chee’s health and his
treatment in prison. |
|
"Then just as strangely as Chee had
stopped eating on 28 Nov 06, Chee abruptly resumed eating his
meals on 4 Dec 06. He ate his dinner ordered from a menu of
choices at Changi General Hospital... |
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More..... |
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Higher school fees for PRs and foreign students |
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"From January 2007, PR in Government
and Government-aided schools, junior colleges (JCs) and the
centralised institute (CI) will pay about 20% more for school
fees. They currently pay the same fees as citizens at the
secondary and pre-university levels. |
|
"FS, whose fees are already higher than
those for citizens and PR, will have their fees increased by about
30%. The new fees for FS will take effect two years from now (2009
), to give time for them to decide if they wish to apply to become
permanent residents..." |
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More.... |
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Central and northeast Singapore experience tremors
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Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'N' Level 2006 Results
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Police nab armed robber preying on convenience stores
Labour Market 3rd Quarter 2006 Report |
|
"Cumulatively in the first nine months
this year, the economy added 124,500 workers, surpassing the gains
of 113,300 for the whole of 2005. This employment creation is the
highest ever recorded1..." |
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More..... |
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Withdrawal of 1998 off-budget concession on stamp duty deferment
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Revision of hospital subsidy for foreigners |
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"From October 2007, PRs will
continue to be subsidised for hospital services, but at 5
percentage-points less than Singapore citizens. |
|
"From October 2008, another 5
percentage-point reduction will be applied. This way, Singapore
citizens will enjoy greater subsidy than PRs, by a total of 10
percentage- points. |
|
"As for the other foreigners, there
will be no more healthcare subsidy from October
2007. ..." |
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More..... |
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Singapore to acquire refurbished Leopard Tanks from Germany
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Genting International and Star Cruises wins Sentosa IR bid
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First-time writers and illustrators publishing initiative
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Education: Performance by ethnic group 1996–2005
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Tanglin Village attracts businesses with its rustic charm
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Key developments in the Singapore media industry |
|
 |
|
Dr Lee
Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications
and the Arts |
|
"The terrestrial and cable trials have
kicked off, making Singapore the first in Southeast Asia to launch
HDTV public trials. |
|
"In tandem with the launch, MDA is leading a
drive to promote the development of local HD content and speed up
nationwide adoption and deployment of HD technology..." |
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More..... |
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Police arrest 12 people in island-wide anti-piracy raids
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Three years of free Wi-Fi for Singapore from 1 Dec 2006
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Health Ministry forms national committee to combat HIV/AIDS
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Map-based information service on land ownership available online
Expansion of the hedge fund industry in Singapore |
|
Mr Ong
Chong Tee, Deputy Managing Director, Monetary
Authority of Singapore |
|
"In
Singapore, we have seen a steady increase in the
number of hedge fund managers - from a handful 5
years ago to over a 100 now. |
|
"It is
not only small boutique firms but many large
well-known hedge funds have also set up operations
in Singapore, drawn by a pro-innovation and
competitive business environment, high regulatory
standards and trusted legal regime, and the
available talent pool..." |
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More..... |
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Police nab Internet trickster selling car parts and
accessories |
|
"The culprit lured unsuspecting car
enthusiasts in an online motoring forum into parting with their money by
claiming that he was able to get bulk discounts on car parts and
accessories. |
|
"The victims would place orders with the
culprit and make payment electronically. However, the victims never
received their goods. When the victims discovered that they had been
cheated, the culprit taunted them to catch him if they could..." |
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More..... |
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New lighting plan for the City Centre
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2006 Primary School Leaving Examination (PLSE) Results
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MP suggests using half-height platform screen doors in MRT stations
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Accreditation scheme for local dating industry in mid-2007
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More Medisave-Approved claims settled faster by insurers
|
Rates for HDB rental flats to be pegged to household
income |
|
"Starting from 1 Mar 07, HDB will align the
rental for its flats to the household income of the tenants. |
|
"Tenants whose monthly income is $800 and
below will continue to pay the 1st-tier rent. Similarly, tenants who
rented their flats after 1 Oct 2003 and whose monthly income is between
$801 and $1500 will continue to pay the current 2nd-tier rent. |
|
"However, tenants whose income has since
risen above these levels will be required to pay
higher rent based on their new income levels..." |
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More..... |
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Four duped into parting with their cash and valuables in scam
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New Chinese Language Curriculum for Primary 1 and 2 in 2007
Banking (Amendment) Bill - First Reading in
Parliament |
|
"The Bill introduces a requirement for
foreign full and wholesale bank branches to maintain a minimum
level of eligible assets in Singapore in proportion to their
liabilities... |
|
"Such a requirement would help to
improve the recovery of assets from a failed foreign bank branch
in Singapore to meet the claims of Singapore depositors..." |
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More..... |
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Inaugural Singapore Education Awards 2007
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US
President’s Visit to Singapore
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Scenic Changi Point coastline opens to the public
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One-stop NS
portal launched
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Proposed amendments to the Penal Code
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Singapore ranks 5th in 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index
Challenges for the Asia Bond Market |
|
Mr Heng
Swee Keat Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore |
|
"Most Asian markets are still dominated
by local investors, comprising mostly banks, insurance companies
and pension funds. Anecdotal evidence suggests that on average,
non-resident investors hold less than 5% of Asian bonds... |
|
"After the financial crisis, most Asian
economies lifted restrictions on foreign participation in their
bond markets... |
|
"But I believe we need to go much
further - beyond removing barriers to foreign participation, we
should be actively facilitating foreign participation, and
integrating our markets into the global system..." |
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More..... |
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Stricter smoke test for diesel vehicles from 1 January 2007
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Police bust foreign housebreaking syndicate
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Employment situation in 3rd Quarter 2006
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3rd
Quarter 2006 real estate statistics
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34 people to be charged in court for assisting loansharks
Programme to help NSmen prepare for IPPT |
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"The IPT is a voluntary programme designed to
help NSmen prepare for their annual Individual Physical Proficiency Test
(IPPT)... |
|
"The IPT consists of ten sessions, lasting
three hours each, spread over five weeks. NSmen can take their IPPT
during the eighth session. If they pass the test, they will qualify for
the IPPT Monetary Award pegged to the results that they achieve..." |
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More..... |
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New committee to look into reducing school dropout rate
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SCV fined for showing footage of lesbian sex on Zone Reality Channel
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15 sleight-of-hand cases reported since January 2006
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Record 15,000 household products registered with SAFETY mark
Singapore eases admission criteria for new lawyers |
|
"Government announced on 17 August 2006, its
in-principle acceptance of the recommendation of the Third Committee on
the Supply of Lawyers chaired by the former Attorney-General, to allow
Singaporean citizens or Permanent Residents ("PRs") who graduated from
Overseas Scheduled Universities with Second Class (Lower Division)
Honours to practise law in Singapore, provided they possessed certain
relevant work experience or qualifications..." |
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More..... |
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New school
principals in 2007
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New 20-year SGS bond to further develop Singapore's debt market
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Flat buyers taking an HDB loan need HDB loan eligibility letter
All schools to get indoor sports hall for PE, sports
and games |
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"The indoor sports hall will mean an
approximately 50% increase in a school’s sports facilities. It will give
schools the flexibility to conduct CCAs and PE lessons at any time of
the school day... |
|
"Estimated to cost a total of $690 million,
the project will be implemented in phases over seven years..." |
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More..... |
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Two Years of Free Wi-Fi for Singapore |
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"Come 2007, Singaporeans will be ushering the
new year with at least 24 months, or two years, of free (basic tier)
wireless connectivity at up to 512 kbps speeds almost everywhere -
thanks to IDA's 'Wireless@SG' programme... |
|
"The three operators are extending this
two-year free offering with unlimited usage to all residents and
visitors in Singapore, including tourists and business travellers.
The sign-up details will be made known from December 2006 by the
operators..." |
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More..... |
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Norovirus outbreak may have affected another two
schools |
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"MOH has investigated into the Ang Mo Kio
Secondary School outbreak which occurred on 25-28 Sep and established
the cause as norovirus gastroenteritis. Investigations into the cause of
outbreak at Stamford Primary School are still in progress although
norovirus has also been identified. |
|
"As at Friday, 6 Oct, two other schools [ACS(I)
and Maris Stella (Primary)] have reported 20-30 cases of students and
staff falling ill with similar symptoms. These cases are also being
investigated to determine their cause..." |
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More..... |
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IBM to build smartcard e-payment infrastructure for
MRT network |
|
"The high-performance and high-speed backend
infrastructure is expected to double the present capacity and will be
capable of handling about 10 million financial transactions per day... |
|
"The e-Symphony incorporates the Contactless
E-Purse Application Standard (CEPAS) and will therefore allow multiple
suppliers to issue the contactless smart cards, which are currently
issued only by EZ-link. This could bring about competition among the
suppliers and in turn reduce the cost of smart cards to benefit users..." |
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More..... |
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Marina
Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) unveiled
Recent outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis in two
schools |
|
"There has been an increase in the number of
persons attending the polyclinics for acute diarrhoea over the past
three weeks... |
|
"However, in view of the recent outbreaks of
norovirus gastroenteritis in two schools affecting a large number of
school children, the Ministry would like to advise the public to be
vigilant about diarrhoeal illnesses..." |
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More..... |
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Annual
Firewalking Festival 2006
Major changes in teaching of English Language in our
schools |
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Singapore students do fairly well in reading
literacy, but standards of oral and written communication are highly
uneven. Some employers have observed a decline in oral fluency, writing
skills and the ability to communicate with impact... |
|
The EL curriculum will focus on
developing oral confidence, grammar knowledge and a love for
reading to anchor EL learning throughout the primary school years... |
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Secondary students will revisit and
build on foundational skills, in particular, grammar and spoken
English... |
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A new subject, English Language, to be
offered at H1 and H2 levels, will be introduced at the
pre-university level from 2009... |
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More..... |
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National Museum to re-open officially in December 2006
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AVA to implement grading scheme for pet shops
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Singapore withdraws circulation approval for Far Eastern Economic Review
Primary schools to do away with EM3 stream from 2008 |
|
"Primary
schools will introduce Subject-based Banding
starting from the 2008 Primary 5 cohort, replacing
the current EM3 stream. |
|
"With
Subject-based Banding, students will be able to
offer a mix of Standard or Foundation subjects
depending on their aptitude in each subject... |
|
"Schools
will work out class and timetabling arrangements
that allow students to take separate classes in
Foundation subjects while being integrated with
other students for the rest of the curriculum..." |
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More..... |
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School
Achievements in 2006
How Singapore can contribute to Asia's
infrastructure financing activities |
|
Lee
Chuan Teck, Executive Director, Monetary Authority
of Singapore |
|
"On the other hand, Asian property developers
who need to raise funds efficiently issue a REIT in Singapore because
there is a ready pool of investors there. In this way, Singapore became
the conduit for funneling global investments to Asian property
developments. |
|
"The same can be done for infrastructure.
Singapore is a leading project finance hub in Asia. Leading banks such
as Standard Chartered, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Sumitomo Mitsui, Mizuho
and BNP Paribas having sizeable on-shore project finance teams to access
regional opportunities..." |
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More..... |
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Police bust foreign syndicate using cloned ATM cards
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Incentives to encourage development of infrastructure finance
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Death of
Serviceman
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Singapore Labour Market Report for 2nd Quarter 2006
Incident at Speakers’ Corner |
|
"On 16 Sept 2006, Chee Soon Juan and a few of
his associates gathered in the late morning at the Speakers' Corner. |
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"After making speeches at Speakers' Corner,
Chee attempted to proceed on a protest march to Parliament House... |
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"However, he and his group were stopped by
the Police and advised not to break the law..." |
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More..... |
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Changi Airport's Terminal 2 completes S$240m makeover
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Bus and train fares to increase by between 1 and 3 cents
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Police may not allow some IMF/WB civil society representatives to enter
Singapore
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Chee Soon Juan distributing pamphlets at Raffles City
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Update On Subutex Voluntary Rehabilitation Programme
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SJI (International) to be Singapore's 3rd privately funded school
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MOE unveils S$250m plan to boost teaching profession |
|
"...an Enhanced PDL will allow a teacher who
has had at least 12 years of experience to take up
to 2½ months (1 school term) of full-pay leave... |
|
"MOE will introduce a new Learning &
Development Scheme. In the scheme, teachers will be entitled to claim up
to $400 or $700 per year, for any learning-related expenses that they
choose... |
|
"MOE is increasing
the starting salaries of Pass/ Pass (Merit) Degree
and Diploma recruits by 1 increment (which is
equivalent to an increase of 5-8%) with effect from
1 Sep 06. The current starting salaries of trainee
teachers holding other qualifications remain
competitive..." |
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More..... |
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DUKE -
NUS Graduate Medical School to open in 2009
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Medisave withdrawal for outpatient care for four chronic diseases
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Medisave withdrawal limit for day surgery to go up from 1 Dec 2006
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Singapore tightens security ahead of IMF/World Bank meetings
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Key challenges facing public housing in Singapore |
|
 |
|
"Between now and 2030, the number of elderly
aged 65 years or older will increase dramatically, from 300,000 to
900,000. 1 in 5 Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above by 2030. |
|
"We will need to provide a wide range of
housing options to meet the different financial needs and lifestyle
preferences of the elderly, from smaller HDB flats like studio
apartments, to private retirement housing with dedicated care
facilities..." |
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More..... |
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- Government
continues to invest in technology-enabled work environment
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Easier for returning Singaporeans to go back to our schools
New personalised employment pass not tied to any
employer |
|
The Ministry of Manpower will introduce a
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) from 1 January 2007 to help us better
attract and retain global talent... |
|
The PEP allows the holder to remain in
Singapore for up to six months in between jobs to evaluate new
employment opportunities. This helps us to retain selected global talent
who would otherwise have to leave Singapore... |
|
The PEP will be issued only once with a
validity of 5 years. It will be nonrenewable. A PEP holder will retain
the dependant privileges of his original EP type and the minimum annual
basic salary requirement of S$30,000 will continue to apply throughout
the 5-year duration... |
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More..... |
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New "R18"
rating for cabaret shows
Singapore needs 60,000 babies yearly but gets 35,500
only |
|
 |
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"Our own population is ageing - current
projections show that one-in-five Singaporeans will be over the
age of 65 by 2030... |
|
"It has
been two years since we introduced the parenthood
package. |
|
"Overall, we have seen some positive results - there
were about 240 more births from January to June 2006
compared to the same period in 2005, and about 400
more births in 2005 compared to 2004. This is a
positive reversal which comes after four consecutive
years of decline..." |
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More..... |
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Publication of data on affordability of healthcare |
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"The 2005 data show that public
hospitals are affordable. This is especially so for
the Class B2 and C wards. |
|
"The average B2 and C bills are below
$1,100. 95% of all B2/C bills are below $3,500.
Considering the high standard of clinical care
provided in our public hospitals, this is quite an
achievement..." |
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More..... |
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Commissioner of Charities appointed
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Circulation Of Foreign Newspapers In Singapore
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Tenders invited for New Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang
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Traffic at Singapore Changi Airport in 1st half 2006
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Police arrest Malaysian for smuggling counterfeit S$1 coins
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Subutex a Class A Controlled Drug from 14 Aug 2006 |
|
"From
14 August 2006, doctors will not be permitted to
prescribe and dispense any take-home dosages for
existing patients. |
|
"All patients who require Subutex will have to consume their
medication under direct visual observation of the pharmacist, doctor
and/or his treatment team on a daily basis1 ..." |
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More..... |
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Prime Minister's National Day Message 2006 |
|
 |
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"The internet is a tremendous tool
which is changing the world. We should make full use of it to link
up with the world, engage one another, and be a productive economy
and vibrant society. |
|
"But the internet creates new problems
too. Not everything on the internet is reliable; it is not easy to
tell apart fact from fiction in cyberspace; and instant
communications can cause people to over-react hastily and
unthinkingly to events. |
|
"Therefore we must learn how to live
with this new medium, and adapt to it. This is a
challenge to many societies, not just Singapore..." |
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More..... |
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Proposed Changes to Unsecured Credit Rules |
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"To lower the minimum income threshold
for unsecured credit facilities to $20,000 from $30,000. The minimum
income requirement for credit cards remains at $30,000. |
|
"To set the maximum aggregate credit
limit of all unsecured personal credit facilities and credit cards
granted by a financial institution at four times monthly income for
individuals with at least $30,000 in annual income. For individuals
with annual income of at least $20,000 and below $30,000, the maximum
aggregate credit limit will be twice their monthly income..." |
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More..... |
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Proposed
changes to the Banking Act
Subutex to be classified as a controlled drug |
|
 |
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"While some heroin addicts appeared to have
benefited from Subutex, many others seem to have merely shifted their
addiction from heroin to Subutex. |
|
"In addition, many more who have never tried
drugs before have become new addicts. Within 4 years of introduction, we
now have at least 3800 Subutex users, 45% of them Malay, 43% Chinese and
10% Indian...." |
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More..... |
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True telephone number portability by 4Q 2007 |
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"From
the fourth quarter of 2007, consumers can switch
between telecoms service providers easily and yet
have full use of their existing number, rather than
having to update family members, friends and
business contacts about a new one... |
|
"Currently, mobile subscribers can switch telecoms
service providers and keep their numbers. But he
gets in essence a call-forwarding service as a call
to his old number is routed to his new one. His
contacts will see only this new number when he makes
out-going calls and sends messages (SMS)..." |
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More..... |
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144 people benefit from expanded human organ transplant law
Of young Singaporeans then and now |
| "As for assembly
talks, we had guest speakers but unlike your
“interactive” talks; they did all the talking, we
did all the listening and no one thought that we
might want to ask them some questions. |
| "My teachers were
more concerned that we did not fall asleep during
the session. This I am told is one of those things
that have resisted change as this generation of
students is also similarly afflicted..." |
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More..... |
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No outdoor demonstrations and processions during IMF/WB meetings
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Number of recognised foreign medical schools increased to 120
Exit permit rules relaxed for National Servicemen
from 1 Aug 2006 |
|
"Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) will
henceforth be exempted from applying for exit permits for short overseas
trips of less than 3 months... |
|
"NSmen who have completed their
Operationally-Ready National Service Training Cycle and have been
phased into the MINDEF Reserve (MR) will no longer be required to
notify the MNC of their overseas trips of more than 24 hours and
less than 6 months..." |
|
More..... |
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New Singapore biometric passports from 15 Aug 2006 |
|
"To facilitate a smooth transition to the BioPass system, ICA will
have to close some of its passport application services counters
from 9 Aug 2006... |
|
"This will allow ICA to install and test the BioPass
systems before its actual launch. As such, only
limited passport application avenues will be
available from 10 to 14 August 2006..." |
|
More..... |
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Singapore Crime Situation - First half 2006 |
|
"Crimes
involving handphones being stolen, which was one of
the key concerns in 2005, decreased significantly,
from 2,423 to 1,962 cases, in the first half of
2006... |
|
"The
drop in handphone crimes, despite the continued high
mobile phone penetration rate in Singapore3
, may be in part due to enhanced public education on
such crimes as well as tighter enforcement against
errant second-hand handphone dealers..." |
|
More..... |
|
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Police bust Orchard Underpass counterfeit syndicates
Singapore's GDP growth for 2006 likely to be 5% to
7% |
|
Mr
Heng Swee Keat, Managing Director, Monetary
Authority of Singapore |
|
"The Singapore economy grew by a robust 6.4%
last year... |
|
"Barring any unexpected shocks in the
external environment including an escalation in geopolitical risks in
the second half of this year, GDP growth for the year as a whole is
likely to be in the range of 5 to 7%..." |
|
More..... |
|
Singapore
to hold large-scale flu pandemic exercise |
|
21-22 Jul 2006 |
|
"This large scale exercise will involve over
1,000 personnel from MOH, the Ministry of Education (MOE), home-front
and related agencies such as the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS),
Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA), Maritime Port Authority (MPA)
and the People's Association..." |
|
More..... |
|
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Foreign Worker Levy and S-Pass quota to go up
News Snippets
2006 - Part 1
News
Snippets 2005 - Part 2
News Snippets
2005 - Part 1
News Snippets 2004
News
Snippets 2003
|
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